Busan Buk-gu District – Shut down the Gupo Dog Meat Market in the “School Cleanup Zone”!

The Busan Gupo Dog Meat Market is within the boundaries of the “School Environment, Hygiene, Cleanup Zone” specified in the School Health Act as evidenced in this Busan News article: Dispute over the Gupo Livestock Market’s violation of the School Health Act. (http://koreandogs.org/dispute-over-the-gupo-livestock-markets-violation-of-the-school-health-act/ However, the Busan Buk-gu District office refuses to shut it down, claiming that the School Health Act does not apply to the Gupo Dog Meat Market.

The officials in the Busan Buk-gu District put the interests of dog butchers/shops before the education of their young children. Imagine allowing your children to grow up hearing the screams of the meat dogs and seeing them writhe in agony, being brutally slaughtered right in front of their young eyes. It will either traumatize these children for life or make them immune to the suffering of animals, turning them into the next generation of animal abusers. This is despicable and it must be stopped.

In the years 2014 through 2015, in response to the Busan Bukgu District’s disregard for the law, we launched a campaign of letter- writing directed towards the Korean Minister of Education and Minister of Health & Welfare. We requested statements on their official position regarding the actions of the Busan Bukgu District Office with regard to the Gupo Dog Meat Market. However, we did not receive any responses from the Ministry of Health & Welfare and Ministry of Education. It has now been 3 years and there are new ministers in office, so we would like to re-launch our campaign. We hope with the new leadership in place in Korea, we will have a chance to get the attention of their government. Please sign and share our petition, and also send a petition letter (use your own words or our petition as a suggested letter). We must not give up on these dogs.

Shut down the Busan Gupo Dog Meat Market located within the “School Environment, Hygiene, Cleanup Zone”.

Back in November of 2014, the Busan Buk-gu District Office issued their response to a civil complaint filed by the Busan Korea Alliance for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Busan KAPCA) regarding the violation of School Health Act at the Gupo Dog Meat Market. (http://koreandogs.org/busan-buk-gu-district-response/)

It was the opinion of the Busan Buk-gu District Office that Article 6, Paragraph 1, Subparagraphs 1, 5, 7, 8 and 11 of the School Health Act do not apply to the Gupo Dog Meat Market and that the Gupo Dog Meat Market is not subject to administrative action or removal. This opinion was issued by the Busan Buk-gu District Office without comment as to why the above provisions of the School Health Act are not applicable.

The current conditions at the Gupo Dog Meat Market, as evidenced by many media available online and provided by the Busan KAPCA to the Busan Buk-gu District Office, clearly show that the Gupo Dog Meat Market is not being operated under healthful conditions and therefore is in violation of your stated policy.

It appears that the officials in the Busan Buk-gu District put the interest of dog butchers/shops before the education of their young children. Please imagine letting your kids grow up hearing the screaming of the meat dogs and seeing them writhe in agony, being brutally slaughtered right in front of their young eyes. It will either traumatize these children for life or make them immune to the suffering of animals, turning them into the next generation of animal abusers.

We are, therefore, respectfully requesting that the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Ministry of Education issue a position with respect to the decision of the Busan Buk-gu District Office regarding the Gupo Dog Meat Market.